At what level is your organization managing knowledge?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to combine different perspectives concerning knowledge management (KM), thus developing a theoretical framework that could be used, as a basic strategic tool, both to control and to plan KM level of implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Bringing together previous research in KM and providing an analysis of the main issues discussed in the literature, an integrative framework for evaluating the level of implementation of knowledge management within organizations is proposed.

Findings

The major contribution is the final theoretical framework proposed, which allows the possibility to dynamically analyze the evolution of the KM maturity level of an organization, thus assuming a relevant strategic importance.

Research limitations/implications

The model proposed provides only the basis for an extensive analysis on the topic. Further research could focus on the quantitative development of the suggested framework.

Practical implications

The paper is very useful in practical terms. From a static perspective, a manager can use the resulted framework as a strategic tool able to portray the level of implementation of KM within his organization. From a dynamic perspective, the framework could be adopted to analyze the evolution of the KM within the organization, thus gaining deeper understanding on the link between KM and organizational change.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel framework. Unlike previous literature on KM, this paper combined numerous perspectives in the field and provides a useful strategic tool.

Citation

Galati, F. (2015), "At what level is your organization managing knowledge?", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 57-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-09-2014-0030